Recorded at two live dates in Canada in July and July of 2004, Sound Unity is the most beautifully wrought of
William Parker's ensemble recordings. Certainly it doesn't break as much ground as some, and it acknowledges his debts to composers like
Ornette Coleman,
Don Cherry, and
Eric Dolphy, and that's fine; in
Parker's able hands as a leader, this band with saxophonist
Rob Brown, drummer
Hamid Drake (are he and
Parker the best rhythm section in jazz or what?), and trumpeter
Lewis Barnes understands that both listening and silence are as important as what notes to play. The interaction between the horn players feels like they've been playing together for a very long time -- check out the 18-plus-minute title track. What's also important to note here is the fluidity that the rhythm section engages the horns with, such as on "Wood Flute Song," or the crazy, funky joy on "Hawaii." The bandmembers nearly lift off; they're having so much fun. The music on this set is one of those bridges -- across tradition, subgenre, nuance, and harmony.
Parker's lyricism is profound, and has never been heard quite like this before.
Brown is a more subtle player than some
Parker has worked with before, and
Barnes is a natural singer on the trumpet. The gap that's provided in the absence of a piano allows for a less strident interaction harmonically and dialogically. The music here flows, reaches, steps back, and reaches further, with
Parker's guidance allowing for the horns to push one another as they do on "Groove," not so much for what they know, but for what they bring to a tune emotionally. "Harlem"'s folk song melody and lyric are among the most beautiful
Parker has yet written; it's a place where blues and the Middle Eastern musics of Morocco come together. This is a stellar offering from one of the music's greatest lights. ~ Thom Jurek